You'll always be my hero, Jackie
by Imagination Writer 247
Summary: Jackie has made herself known to have super powers by accident, and the Batman wants her to join the Young Justice Team, but after what happened to her in the past, she's hesitant to accepting the offer in fear that history will repeat itself. No longer on hiatus.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I don't own Young Justice! I only own my OC's! All rights go to their respective owners.  
**

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Gotham City

August 24th, 10:30 pm.

Chapter 1: Intruder.

Jackie walked into her apartment that night, exhausted from work. Her boss had asked her to stay a few extra hours to help serve all of the customers since tonight was the ten year anniversary of the restaurant's grand opening, and it was packed. Luckily, in return for her overtime, her boss gave her a raise, which she was grateful for.

She sighed as she set the check down on the kitchen counter, making a mental note to go to the bank soon to cash it in, then headed to her bedroom and sat down on her bed. She felt like staying on the bed and falling asleep right there but knew she needed to take a shower. She stood up and stumbled into the bathroom.

After fifteen minutes, she walked out of the bathroom, now dressed in her cozy penguin pajamas and walked towards her bed. She fell on top of it and sighed deeply as she felt the overwhelming sensation of relaxation overcome her. She didn't even care that her blond wet hair was drenching her pillowcase as she slowly began to fall asleep.

After what felt like hours, she woke up to the sound of a door creaking open and footsteps walking across her wooden floors. She opened her eyes and looked at the clock sitting on her nightstand. "It's only midnight. Mom shouldn't be home until six," she thought.

Her eyes searched the room, but she didn't notice anyone. Thinking it might have been a dream, she closed her eyes again and tried to go back to sleep.

Again, she opened her eyes when she heard something crash on the floor and sat up. Someone was actually in her apartment! She grabbed the baseball bat that was underneath her bed and stood up as she readied herself to hit someone. She walked to the archway of her bedroom and peeked her head past it to find the intruder. When she didn't see anyone, she walked out of her bedroom, making herself completely visible to whoever was in the room, and walked into the kitchen.

She instantly saw shards of glass on the floor and realized that it was the remains of her late grandmother's cookie jar. She felt a twinge of heartbreak that someone had broken the jar; her mother and her were trying to start a tradition of passing down the jar to the next generation so that her grandmother would be remembered.

Her thoughts were interrupted when she heard someone step into the kitchen. She tightened her grip on the bat and pretended that she was still lost in thought while looking at the jar so that the intruder would come closer to her. It worked as she heard them start walking towards her. Right when she felt that the intruder was a few feet from her, she turned around and swung the bat at them. Before it made physical contact with their face, the intruder caught the bat and glared at her.

Her eyes widened at the man that was standing before her. This man that she's heard so many horrific rumors about was none other than the Batman. She felt fear crawl its way inside of her and rest in her mind. The fear tried to make her black out, and she started to feel weak in the knees. She resisted, however, and put on a brave face to try to appear calm instead of completely scared out of her mind.

He let go of the bat, and she lowered it to her side, but kept a firm grip on it, just in case. He looked down at the jar. "I didn't realize my cape had caught onto the edge of the jar until it was too late. I'm sorry," he apologized in a dark and deep voice.

She tilted her head in confusion. Why would the Dark Knight be apologizing for breaking a jar? She's heard stories about him being merciless to his victims; he shouldn't be apologizing.

She cleared her throat, and he looked up at her as she looked away. "It's fine. I'm sure I can find a replacement," she replied.

She lied, yes, but she was a kindhearted soul and didn't want him to feel worse about breaking the only piece of pottery her late grandmother had ever made. She turned away from him and walked over to a cabinet drawer. After pulling out a kitchen towel, she set the bat on the counter and walked over to the shards. She then picked up the pieces and set them on the counter, thinking she could probably repair it with some super glue later.

"You can't replace something from a dead relative, Miss Holloway."

She flinched visibly at the mention of her maiden name; her mother had changed their last names a few years ago to make sure that Jackie's father wouldn't find them after he got out of prison.

She didn't turn around as she softly spoke with a shaky voice, "'Miss Holloway?' You have the wrong teenager."

"I'm never wrong, Miss Holloway."

She gulped and felt her body temperature rise as she heard him walk towards her. Oh how she wished her mother would come home from her night shift at the hospital and help her out of this situation. She tensed when she felt his hand rest on her shoulder. He must have known she was afraid because he immediately took his hand back and walked over to the other side of the counter.

"I'm not here to discuss your father, Miss Holloway. I'm here to talk about you," he explained gravely.

"Me?" she squeaked.

He nodded. "A few years ago, you and your mother moved away from California, after changing your last names, and came here in hopes that you were going to be free from your abusive father."

He stared at her as he continued, "Two years after living here, you were at school, waiting for your mom to pick you up, when you noticed a man trying to kidnap a girl you knew from your class. Reacting quickly, you stopped him, but by doing so you managed to release a ball of electricity and put him into a coma. Lucky for you, the girl never told anyone about it."

She felt herself trembling in fear as he brought up that terrible incident. She had no intention of putting that man in the hospital, but she did.

"Then," he continued. "About a year later, you discovered that you had, not only electricity, but telepathy and flight too. Except you're afraid of heights, so you never practice flying."

"What do you want from me?" she asked in a whisper.

He walked over to her, and she turned to face him. He stopped a few feet in front of her and looked down at her. "I want you to put your powers to good use, and I know exactly how you can do that," he stated.

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 **Please leave a review! Constructive criticism is welcome!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I don't own Young Justice! I only own my OC's! All rights go to their respective owners!**

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Gotham City

August 25th, 12:30 am.

Chapter 2: An offer.

"You want me to do what?!" Jackie exclaimed as she sat down at the kitchen table, listening to what Batman had to say; he wanted her to join a team of young superheroes to help protect the world.

She rested her head on her hand as a major headache started to form. "I know it would be difficult for you, concerning your past, but I can assure you that the Team are nothing like those that hurt you," Batman assured as he stood on the other side of the table.

"How do you know that?" she asked in a mumble. "I understand you know Robin, but the others?"

"I'm in charge of assigning them missions and have seen what they can do," he answered. "I know they wouldn't hurt you, not intentionally."

She shook her head. "I don't know, Batman; I don't work well in teams because-"

"Because you don't trust others," he finished for her.

She sulked down in her seat and sighed. "That's basically right."

"Miss Holloway, I'm offering this position to you, so you can start over; to have a second chance at being yourself around people."

"And if it doesn't work out?"

He was silent for a few seconds until he replied, "I'll make sure no one from the League, including myself, and the Team never bothers you or your mother ever again."

Jackie didn't know what to do. A piece of her told her that she shouldn't take the risk to prevent herself from getting hurt or let down again. But another piece of her told her that she should do it, like Batman said, to start over. Her head throbbed in pain as she considered the pros and cons to take the offer or not.

"I'll give you three days," Batman spoke up. "Then you can tell me your decision."

She nodded and looked up to see him gone. She felt a cold breeze and looked over at the window to see it open, making her realize that the Dark Knight had jumped out of it. She sighed and walked over to the window and closed it, then locked it. She leaned her head against it for a few seconds before heading over to her grandmother's jar to find out if she could save it with some super glue.

After an hour, she was halfway done fixing the jar but stopped when she heard the front door unlock and open. She grabbed her baseball bat and heard the door close as she made her way to the archway of the kitchen. She stayed behind the wall and readied herself to hit the intruder as she heard their footsteps walk towards the kitchen. She lifted the bat above her head and swung once they walked through the archway, but quickly diverted the bat when she saw who it was. The bat hit the floor and the intruder yelped as she turned around and noticed Jackie.

"Jackie," her mother exclaimed as she lifted a hand to her chest. "Don't scare your mama; she's too old to handle those kind of tricks."

Jackie groaned. "It wasn't a trick, Mama. I thought you were an intruder," she claimed as she propped the bat against the wall.

"Oh," her mom, Jennifer, sighed.

"What are you doing home early, Mama? You should still be at work."

"I know, but my boss let me off early. She said that I looked like I needed some rest."

The blonde-haired teen knew her boss was right; her mother hasn't been sleeping lately because of the nightmares she's had. She knew the nightmares were about their past because of her mother's loud screaming in her sleep and knew she should see a therapist, but Jennifer refused, claiming she could handle herself even though it was clear that she couldn't.

"What are you doing out of bed?" Jennifer asked, bringing Jackie out of her thoughts.

"It's a long story," the teen replied as she walked back over to the broken vase to continue gluing the pieces back together.

"Oh dear," her mother mumbled. "Did you break the vase?"

"No, Batman did." Jackie looked over at her mother to watch her expression only to discover she didn't look confused, surprised, or angry; instead, she smiled.

"Oh? What did he say?" Jennifer asked.

"You don't think I'm crazy?" Jackie asked, confused.

Her mother shook her head. "No, I met him a few nights ago."

"You did? What did he want from you?"

"He wanted my permission to ask you to join a team of young superheroes."

Jackie stared at her mother with astonishment as she set down a piece of pottery back onto the counter. "You said he could?"

"Of course I did!" her mother exclaimed as she dragged her daughter over to the kitchen table to sit down. "You deserve to be somewhere where you can be yourself."

"Be myself?"she asked. "But we're talking about a team of young superheroes here, meaning if I join them, I'll be fighting battles with criminals, and I could get hurt!"

"Oh, baby doll," her mother whispered and held her daughter's hand. "Getting hurt is a part of growing up. Don't get me wrong, I don't want you to get hurt either but there's nothing I can do to stop it. I want you to be surrounded by people who can relate to you and help you."

"But, what if-"

"Stop! No more second-guessing yourself," Jennifer whispered sternly. "You deserve to be happy and to be yourself, and I believe this team can provide that for you."

Jackie sighed. "You want me to join," she stated, although she meant for it to come out as a question.

Her mother nodded. "I do, but I won't force you to if you don't want to," she replied and stood up. "Just know that all I want is for you to be happy."

The teen watched as her mother kissed her forehead and left the room, leaving her to think about that offer. She knew that her mother knew she would be sending away her daughter to fight the bad guys and was risking the chance of ever seeing her again, but she said she wanted her to be happy. She sighed deeply knowing she had a lot to think about.

"Don't worry about the vase either, sweetie!" her mother yelled from her bedroom. "I'll take care of it tomorrow!"

"Okay, Mom!" Jackie yelled back and walked over to her room. She flopped down onto her bed and pulled the blanket up to her chest as she tried falling back to sleep, but her thoughts on Batman's offer wouldn't let her.

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 **Please feel free to leave a review! Constructive criticism is welcome!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Thank you so much for your reviews, Shortyred! I'm so happy you like my story! Also, I totally agree; my chapters are pretty short; I'm working on making them longer though. :)**

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 **Disclaimer: I don't own Young Justice! I only own my OC's! All rights go to their respective owners!**

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Gotham City

August 25th, 7:30 am.

Chapter 3: Day 1

"Jackie! It's time to get up; you need to get ready for school," her mother yelled from the kitchen.

The blonde-haired teen groaned as she slowly threw the covers off of her and sat up. Yawning, she stood and stretched her back. She put on her slippers and sulked over to the kitchen where her mother was most likely making breakfast for the two of them.

"Morning, Mom," Jackie greeted as she sat down at the table and rubbed her eyes while yawning again.

"Good morning, sweetie. How did you sleep?" Jennifer asked without turning away from the stove.

"I didn't," she replied as she looked over to her mother to see her flipping pancakes. "Pancakes again?"

"I just wanted to try a new recipe."

The teenager sighed. "What kind of pancakes?"

"I'm making chocolate chip pancakes with whip cream on top; it's Kyle's recipe."

Jackie raised a curious brow as she tried to think of a face to that name. "Kyle?"

"Yes, he's a friend of mine from work."

"Are you two close?" the teen asked.

"I guess," Jennifer replied and shrugged. "We sometimes go out to eat breakfast after work."

Jackie smiled. "Does he pay?"

"Yes, he does."

"For anything you get? Even if it's expensive?"

"I tried to tell him that I don't mind paying for myself, but he insists, so I let him."

"Aw," Jackie teased. "He likes you."

Her mother scoffed and brought a plate of pancakes over to the table. "No, he doesn't, sweetheart."

The teen smirked. "Mom, you just said that he pays for your meals, so he has to like you."

"He's just being a gentleman," Jennifer insisted and sat down. "Now eat; you have a big day today."

Jackie gave her a confused expression, causing her mother to chuckle. "Didn't you tell me you have, and I quote, 'A HUGE exam on the 15th?'" Jennifer asked in a mocking tone.

The seventeen year old groaned as she remembered that test, which she forgot to study for. "I'm totally going to bomb it," she muttered as she cut her pancakes in half with a butter knife.

"Don't think like that," her mother sternly spoke. "You're going to do great; you always do."

Jackie nodded in reply and ate a piece of pancake. Her eyes widened as she looked down at her pancakes and then to her mother. She swallowed and smiled. "These are amazing," she complimented. "Instead of Kyle giving you his recipes, you should just ask him to come and cook for us all the time!"

Jennifer chuckled and picked up her fork to start eating. "I'll make sure to tell him you said that," she responded. "So, have you made your decision?"

Jackie sighed and set her fork down. "That's why I couldn't sleep last night; I was up all night trying to make up my mind but couldn't."

Her mother nodded. "Don't worry, honey; I'm sure you have plenty of time to make up your mind," she assured.

"Yeah, I know," Jackie muttered and picked up her fork to continue eating.

After fifteen minutes, Jackie had finished eating and getting ready for school. She slipped on her jean jacket and walked over to the front door. "Mom! I'm leaving!" she yelled to her mother.

"Bye, honey! Have a great day!" Jennifer yelled back.

Jackie grabbed her backpack and rushed out the door, listening to her school supplies as well as her car keys jump up and down as she ran down the stairs of the apartment complex. She stopped once she reached the parking lot and fumbled in her backpack for her keys. Once she found them, she immediately unlocked her car, got in, and turned the keys in the ignition. She looked at the time to see that school started in ten minutes and groaned, knowing she was going to be late for first period.

After twenty minutes, she reached the school, Gotham Academy, and hurried over to her first period. Once she walked into class, she immediately got a lecture from her Science teacher and was given extra homework for the whole week. She nodded, not wanting to start an argument, and sat in her assigned seat, which was next to one of the most snobbiest girls, who constantly talked about how they were so rich that they didn't _need_ a scholarship to be able to go to this school. Jackie knew that she should be insulted since she received a scholarship to come here last month for her amazing G.P.A and grades, but she was too tired to care today.

Three hours later, Jackie was sitting by herself on the bleachers next to the empty football field and eating lunch. She normally would be on her phone playing a game, but today she was writing down all the 'ups' and 'downs' to joining The Team. She was right in the middle of writing down all the 'downs' when a hand touched her shoulder. She yelped and turned around to see a boy she recognized from her PE class, but she couldn't remember his name.

"Whoops, sorry," he apologized and sat down next her. "I didn't mean to scare you."

"It's fine," she mumbled and turned her notebook over to reveal a drawing of a stormy night she drew a few days ago.

"Nice picture," he complimented, looking at her notebook. "Are you in art?"

"No, I'm not. I just sometimes doodle when I'm bored," she replied and started drawing another lightening bolt.

He nodded and grinned. "I'm Richard, but you can call me Dick."

"I'm Jackie," she introduced as she smiled at him.

He frowned instantly though. "Are you okay? You look exhausted."

"Oh, yeah," she replied and looked away from him as she pushed a piece of her blonde hair behind her ear. "I didn't sleep last night."

"How come?" he asked as he turned a little bit to face her.

"Oh, I was just reading," she lied and felt her face heat up as she kept staring at the open space in front of her. She knew she was terrible at lying and hoped Dick couldn't see that.

"You were reading?" he questioned as he tilted his head to the side and raised an eyebrow.

She nodded. "Yep, it was just such a good book," she claimed, hoping he'd drop the subject.

He hummed and shrugged. "Cool."

She sighed in relief inwardly and looked back at him once she felt her face stop heating up. "So, what grade are you in?"

"Ninth. You?"

"Twelve."

"Oh, you're a senior. Are you eighteen?"

She smiled. "No, I turn eighteen next year."

"What day?"

"March 21st."

He smiled. "That's pretty close. Are you doing anything to celebrate?"

She shrugged. "My mom and I normally go out to eat, see a movie, go shopping, then call it a night."

"You're not having a party with your friends?" he asked, curiously.

Jackie's smiled dropped, and she looked down. She was so determined not to let anyone else hurt her again that she shut everyone out and closed her heart so no one could open her up again.

She looked back at him to see him looking at her with a saddened expression as if he read her thoughts. "You don't have any friends, do you?" he asked in a whisper.

She nodded and looked away again. "I'm really sorry, Jackie. I didn't mean to upset you," he whispered.

She shrugged and gave him a small smile. "It's okay. I just haven't found the right friends yet; that's all," she assured.

"Oh," he muttered and stood up when the bell rang. "Why don't we head to class."

Jackie nodded and stood up to follow him. Dick and her both didn't say anything until they reached the middle of the courtyard, which was where she said goodbye to him and started walking off until he grabbed her arm, and she looked back at him.

"Hey," he spoke. "Do you want to hang out sometime?"

She swallowed involuntarily as she stared at him. She was hoping he got the hint that she didn't want to be friends and wouldn't ask her to hang out because then she would have to turn him down, and he would be upset with her.

She sighed. "Well, I don't know," she muttered.

"We can go to the movies or the new arcade that just opened up, and I'll pay," he stated as he looked at her with a grin.

She sighed and looked away. Why was he looking at her like that? It would only make it harder for her to turn him down. She's done this so many times with so many people that it was getting harder to look someone in the eye and tell them to leave her alone. Although, she could avoid looking Dick in the eye and telling him to back off by saying that she would like to hang out. After all, one time wouldn't hurt, right? "Okay."

He grinned wider and let her go. "Awesome! We can exchange numbers in PE! See you later, Jackie!"

She watched as he ran off to the Science building, waving, and she waved back with a smile plastered onto her face. Once he was out of sight, she dropped her wave and smile as she headed over to the Math building.

After four hours, Jackie walked into her apartment, closing the front door behind her, and dropped her bag as she let out a groan. She heard the familiar jingle of her phone and pulled it out to see that Dick was texting her, asking her what day was good for her to hang out, for the third time in two hours. She sighed as she walked over to the dark green couch in the living room and let herself fall onto it.

"Jackie?" her mother asked, entering into the room. "What are you doing?"

"Letting myself sink into despair," she replied as she closed her eyes.

She heard her mother chuckle as she made her way over to her. "Oh, and why are you letting yourself 'sink into despair'?" Jennifer asked and sat down next to her.

"A kid at school asked me if he wanted to hang out, and I said yes," Jackie replied and rested her hands behind her head. "Now I don't think there's any hope that I'm getting out of it."

"Oh, I'm sure it'll be fun."

"I don't know if I'm ready, Mom."

She felt her mother place a hand on her arm. "How are you going to know if you're ready if you don't try?"

The teen sighed. "Yeah, I guess you're right, but I'm still going to be cautious about him."

"Alright, hon."

Jackie opened her eyes when she felt her mom get off the couch and looked at her to see her wearing a blue blouse, jeans, and black flats. Also, her short brown hair was curled, and she was wearing jewelry, which she hasn't worn since the divorce. "Uh, Mom?" she asked and sat up.

"Yes, dear?" her mother replied, looking back at her daughter from the entryway of her bedroom.

"You're not in your pajamas," she stated, being careful not to upset her.

Jennifer looked down at her outfit then back at her daughter. "Oh, well, Kyle asked me to go to dinner with him, so I thought I should at least look presentable. What do you think? Good?"

The teenager smiled. "Beautiful."

Her mother smiled and grabbed her purse by the front door. "If you get hungry, there's a frozen pizza in the freezer. I won't be home until a little after ten, but if you want me to get some food for you on the way home just-"

"Mom, I'll be fine."

Jennifer sighed. "Okay. Just call me if you need something, alright?"

"Okay, Mom. Now go! Have fun!"

Her mother nodded and walked out the front door, locking it after she closed it. Jackie shook her head, smiling, and grabbed her backpack to take out her homework to get started on it.

Five hours later, the teenager finished what needed to be turned in tomorrow and looked at the clock to see it was nine in the evening. She sighed as she put away her homework and threw away the paper plate that used to hold her pizza. She walked over to her bathroom, quickly took a shower, then headed for her bed.

After a few hours, Jackie woke up to the sound of someone knocking on the front door. She got out of bed and groggily walked to her mother's bedroom to tell her she was answering the door, but when she looked inside, her mom's bed was still made and the room was dark. She blinked a few times, wondering why her mom wasn't home yet, but discarded the thought as another knock came to the door, and she walked up to it.

"Who is it?" she asked as she leaned her ear against the door to hear better.

"Ma'am, my name is Officer Jack Clinton. Please open the door," he replied.

She unlocked the door and opened it to be greeted by a man, who looked to be in his early thirties and was wearing an police uniform. "Good evening, ma'am," he greeted and took off his hat. "Are you Jackie Morris?"

She leaned onto the door to steady herself when she's noticed the man looking at her with a sorrowful expression. "Yes," she answered timidly.

He sighed. "I'm so sorry, ma'am, but there's been an accident."

Her eyes widened as one person came to mind. "Mom," she whispered.

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 **Please feel free to leave a review! Constructive criticism is welcome!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Thanks for the heads up, Guest. I never would have caught that in the previous chapter. :)**

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 **Disclaimer: I don't own Young Justice! I only own my OC's! All rights go to their respective owners.**

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Gotham City

August 26th, 1:34 am.

Chapter 4: Day 2

"Mom," Jackie exclaimed as she ran over to her mother's hospital bed and hugged her tight.

"Jackie," her mother breathed out. "Don't squeeze me too tight; I don't think my broken ribs can handle it."

The teen let her go and held her mom's broken wrist gently. "I'm so sorry. Are you okay?"

Her mother smiled. "Of course I am; it's just a few broken ribs, a broken wrist, and a concussion; I can handle it."

Jackie smiled. She was worried sick when the officer told her that a teenager crashed into her mother because they were texting while driving. The officer didn't know if her mother was alright or not, so he offered to drive Jackie to the hospital to make sure she was okay.

"I'm more worried about that other driver," her mother whispered. "Before we crashed, I caught a glimpse of her face, and she looked to be in her mid-teens. I think she has more injuries than I do."

"Do you want me to find out?" Jackie asked.

"No, I don't want you to do that. I'll ask the doctor when he comes in."

"Ask me what?"

Both the teen and her mother looked over to the doorway to see a man in his early forties wearing a doctor's coat with a stethoscope wrapped around his neck, and he was carrying a clipboard in his hand.

"Jackie, this is Doctor Richardson; he's my boss," Jennifer introduced, smiling.

"Hello," Jackie timidly greeted and smiled.

"Hello, Jackie," he greeted and walked over to them. "How are you feeling, Jennifer?"

"I'm alright, but I'm more concerned about the girl," her mom responded.

Doctor Richardson nodded. "She's in critical condition, but we believe she's going to be alright."

"What about her family?"

"They're on their way," he informed.

Her mother sighed. "How old is she?"

"Sixteen, at least."

"What's her name?"

"Madeline Woods."

"I'm guessing you're not going to tell me what her injuries are."

"No, I won't; it would only upset you."

"I understand," her mother replied. "Is she awake?"

He shook his head. "She's still unconscious."

"When she does wake up, tell her I'm not pressing any charges."

Jackie stared at her mother in astonishment. "Of course," the doctor replied. "Let me know if you need anything."

As soon as he left the room, Jackie voiced her concerns. "Why aren't you pressing charges?" she asked eagerly. "She crashed into you! She hurt you! You should be-"

"Jackie," her mother spoke sternly, making the teen stop talking. She sighed and held both of her daughter's hands. "This young girl doesn't deserve to have charges pressed against her."

"But why?"

"Because I don't want to kick someone who is already down," she replied. "By the time she wakes up, she's going to lose her license, she's probably going to be in a lot of pain, and the media and the police are going to be all over her. I don't want to add onto her burdens."

Jackie sighed. "Okay," she muttered.

"I don't want you to add onto them either. Understand?"

"Yes, Mom."

Her mother smiled. "Good," she whispered and kissed her daughter's hand. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, Mom. I'm just worried about you."

"I know, but I'm going to be okay, alright?"

The teenager nodded and hugged her gently, which she returned. "Why don't you go home?" her mother whispered. "You have school tomorrow."

Jackie rolled her eyes and shook her head. "School is the least of my concerns right now."

"Well, it shouldn't be. You're graduating this year, Jackie, and I want you to make the most of your high school career. For example, you should be hanging out with that boy you were telling me about; it's not like you're going to see him in class next year since you'll be in college."

"Or a University," Jackie muttered. "I'd rather miss school than not being here with you."

"Well, I'd rather have you go to school than being bored here and doing nothing with me," her mother insisted as she stared her daughter down.

"But, Mom-"

"You have to go to school."

Jackie sighed in defeat. "Fine, I'll go, even though I don't want to."

Jennifer smiled. "That's my girl," she whispered and patted her daughters hand. "Now go home and get some sleep, so you can pay attention to your teachers tomorrow."

The blonde-haired teen nodded and hugged her mother one more time before leaving the hospital. She ran up to Officer Clinton and explained her mother's condition. He sighed in relief and offered to take her home, which she replied yes to.

Once the seventeen-year old was home, she walked over to her bedroom and sat down on her bed. She made sure her phone wasn't on silent in case the hospital called her to tell her that her mom needed her. She rested her head against her pillow and stared up at the ceiling, thinking about her mom, Batman's offer, and that teen that hurt her mother. She sighed and turned over on her side to try to get comfortable, but, for some reason, she could not.

"I heard about your mom."

She jumped and quickly sat up to see Batman standing in the doorway. She let out a breath of relief and looked at him with a glare. "Don't do that; I can't handle another scare tonight," she spoke.

"I know," he replied and walked over to stand by her bedside. "How's your mother?"

"Lucky; she has a concussion, a broken wrist, and a few broken ribs. Whereas the teenage girl that hit my mom is in worst condition," Jackie informed and looked down. "My mom's not pressing charges."

"Madeline's lucky then."

She looked up at him. "You knew who hit her?"

"Yes," he replied and looked at Jackie's drawings taped to the wall behind her bed. "Robin and I pulled both your mom, and Madeline, out of the wreck before the news crews arrived."

"Oh," she whispered and pulled the covers over her legs as he looked back at her. "Are you here just to talk about the accident, or are you here to talk about my decision too?"

"I do want to know what your thoughts are on joining the Team, but if you don't want to-"

"No," she interrupted. "I want to talk to someone about it, and I was going to tell my mom what my thoughts were, but she's not going to be out of the hospital for a while."

"Then talk."

She folded her hands in her lap. "If I do join the Team, how can I learn to trust them? What about my identity? What if I don't want them to know who I am or what my past is?" she asked and then looked at him with wide eyes when a thought came to her. "You haven't told them about me, have you?"

"No," he replied. "I haven't."

She sighed in relief and nodded. "Okay, and my other questions?"

"I can ask Black Canary to help you move on from your past; she's like the Team's counselor, or therapist."

"That didn't answer any of my questions."

"Yes, it did," he spoke gravely. "You asked me how you can learn to trust the Team, and I believe you need help moving on from your past in order to do that."

"Oh," she muttered and looked back at her hands. "What about my identity? I don't want them to know who I am."

"Wear a mask."

"Where am I going to get a mask?"

"I might be able to help with that, but only if you want to join the Team."

She nodded. "Okay."

"Any more questions?"

"What if the Team doesn't like me?" she asked, barely below a whisper.

"What makes you think they won't like you, Miss Holloway?"

She shrugged. To her, there were so many reasons why the Team wouldn't like her; her hair, eyes, powers, strength, clothes, her father, her past, the way she talks, the way she eats, her hobbies, her job, the school she goes to-

"Miss, Holloway?"

She blinked and looked at Batman, who was staring down at her. "Yeah?"

"You zoned out of reality for a few minutes."

She looked down. "Sorry; I do that a lot."

"I see," he replied. "Black Canary can help with that."

"What makes her any different than any other therapist I've seen?"

"You'll listen to her."

She scoffed and glared at her hands even though it was directed to him. "I've listened to my therapists in the past!"

"If you did, you would be recovering instead of hurting."

Her glare softened as she realized he was right; she never wanted to pay attention to any therapist that her mother made her go to because she always thought they never understood her. "What makes you think she'll understand what I'm going through?"

"She's a very considerate person; she'll understand you and give you the advice that you need to hear."

She hummed. "You sound pretty confident in her."

"I know she can help you."

"That's what my mom said about the other therapists," she muttered.

He crossed his arms. "Then maybe you should listen to your mother."

She sighed and rested her head on her hands. "I do listen to her."

"Not when the subject is therapy."

She sighed again. "Fine, whatever, I'll listen to Black Canary."

"You sound like you want to join the Team."

Her eyes widened; she didn't realize she was talking herself into joining the Team the more questions Batman answered. She groaned; she didn't like this; these people could hurt her just like her last group of friends, and her father.

"You still have another day to decide," he continued and laid a hand on her shoulder, making her look up at him. "After that day, though, I'll need your answer."

She nodded at him. "Okay," she replied in a whisper. "Thanks."

He nodded and took his hand back as he walked over to her bedroom door. He turned back to face her and stared at her. "Don't worry about closing your kitchen window; I'll close it after I jump out of it," he assured and left before she could reply to him.

She rubbed a hand down her face in pure exhaustion and looked at her clock that it was now two-thirty in the morning! She groaned and laid down, hoping she would fall asleep.

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 **Please feel free to leave a review! Constructive criticism is welcome!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer:** **I don't own Young Justice! I only own my OC's! All rights go to their respective owners!**

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Gotham City

August 27th, 4:34 pm.

Chapter 5: Day 3

"Mom, I don't know what to do," Jackie complained as she sat by her mother's hospital bed. "I have to make a decision today."

Jennifer took a sip of water before looking at her daughter. "Well, decide then."

The teen groaned. "I can't decide!"

Her mom shook her head. "Well, I can't decide for you."

"I know that," she muttered, crossing her arms.

"Then make a decision."

"I can't!"

"Why not?" her mother asked in frustration as she set her cup down. "Because you can't move on from the past? Well I can't either but that doesn't mean you shouldn't!"

She sighed. "It's half that."

"Then what's the other half?" her mom asked, frustrated. "What's stopping you from accepting a new life where you can start over? What's keeping you from being happy? What's keeping you from making friends and doing good in the world? Whats-"

"Because I'm scared!" Jackie exclaimed as tears fell down her cheeks, and she looked down. "What if I can't do it, Mom? What if I let my fear of my past being repeated get in the way of the missions? What if I can't learn to trust my teammates? What if I fail someone? What if I can't be a hero, like you?" She slammed her fists down on the bed and cried into the mattress.

Jennifer was taken aback by her daughters outburst and would have scolded her for it if she didn't realize how much pressure Jackie was feeling about this whole thing. Her daughter was terrified of joining; she was afraid of letting, not only herself, but everyone else down, including her. It was all because of the past, too; it was tearing apart Jackie's confidence in herself and her abilities.

But Jackie's last comment about Jennifer being a hero really got to her. She didn't realize that her daughter thought that she was one. Sure, she was the one who rescued herself and Jackie from her husband by getting help from the police. Sure, she also always stood between him and Jackie when he threatened to hurt her, but she never thought she was being a hero; she was just protecting her daughter, like any good mother would do.

Her mother softened her expression and placed her hand on her daughter's fist. "Sweetie, look at me," she whispered.

Jackie sniffled and looked at her mother, who could see how puffy and red her eyes became as tears kept falling. "Oh, my sweetheart," her mother continued and grabbed a tissue box. "There's nothing to be afraid of."

The teen took a few tissues and wiped her eyes. "My past; it'll get in the way," she whispered.

"No, it won't," her mother assured and unwrapped her daughter's fist to hold her hand.

"Yes, it will."

"If you keep telling yourself that, it will."

Jackie sniffled again. "What if I can't do it?" she asked and looked down. "What if I can't be a hero?"

"Sh, baby girl," her mother whispered and pulled Jackie into her arms, forcing her to lay on the bed with her. "There will be people that won't consider you a hero, but it doesn't matter what they think. All that matters is what you think you are."

"A failure?"

"No," her mother sternly spoke. "A hero."

"I'm not a hero, though; I've never done anything heroic."

"Of course you have," her mom insisted. "You rescued me."

"From what?" Jackie asked, trying to figure out what her mother meant.

Jennifer smiled. "Before you were born, I was depressed; I felt like I couldn't get away from your father no matter what I tried, so I stopped trying; I couldn't think of any reasons to save myself from harm; I lost hope," she explained. "But when I had you, I regained my hope because I finally thought of a reason to look for a way to escape; I needed to protect you from that awful man, and I knew that by doing that I would need to get us away from him."

The teen rested her head on her mother's shoulder as she listened to her. "It took many years," Jennifer continued. "But I finally found our escape route, and it was all because of you. If it wasn't for you, your father wouldn't be in jail, I would still be experiencing his abuse, and I would have never gotten out of my depression."

Jackie looked up at her. "But that doesn't mean that I can be a hero now."

Her mother sighed and squeezed her daughter gently. "You are a hero," she whispered. "You'll always be my hero, Jackie."

The blonde-haired teen smiled and hugged her mother back. "You'll always be mine, too, Mom."

"I love you, sweetheart."

"I love you more."

"I love you most." Her mom kissed Jackie's forehead and held her until she insisted for her to go home since Batman would want to know her answer tonight.

As much as the teen didn't want to leave, she reluctantly agreed and was now sitting on her bed and going over her many lists that represented reasons to join and not to join the Team. She wanted to do it, she truly did, but with the memories of her past lingering in the back of her mind, there was no way she could learn to trust anyone again!

She looked back and forth from paper to paper, anxious to make a decision. Why did she have to overthink so much? Why couldn't she let her mother's words sink in and just join the Team?

She sighed in frustration and crumpled up one of the lists that she read over a hundred times. As soon as she tossed it into a nearby trashcan, she absentmindedly looked over at her window and yelped when she saw a boy wearing the Robin uniform outside of it. He grinned at her and opened the window.

"Sorry," he spoke as he climbed through the window and closed it. "I just wanted to meet you."

"You wanted to meet me?" she asked timidly as she looked towards her bedroom door in case she needed to bolt.

He nodded. "Yeah, I did," he replied and jumped onto the end of her bed, making her crawl towards her headboard to keep distance between them. He smirked. "Don't tell me you're scared."

She gulped. "No," she managed to say. "I'm just confused as to why you're here."

"Well," he spoke and sat down cross-legged. "I followed Batman here."

"He's here?"

He shook his head. "No, I followed him here last night when he came to visit you. Why did he come to see you?"

Jackie rubbed her arms nervously and brought her legs up to her chest. "He just wanted to make sure I knew about my mom," she lied. "He told me she was in a wreck, so I could go and make sure she was okay."

"Really?" he asked and tilted his head as he smirked at her. "You sure?"

She gulped again and looked away. "Yes," she squeaked out and mentally berated herself for giving herself away.

He grinned mischievously. "Since I was wondering why he came to see you last night, I asked him. He wouldn't tell me, so I did a little researching on my own and found a few papers in your trashcan with the title 'Team' at the top."

She quickly gathered up her papers and set them on her nightstand as she avoided his gaze. "So?"

"So," he continued. "I figured out Batman offered you a position, and I'm guessing you're having trouble deciding on what to do."

She sighed. "Nice detective work, _Sherlock_ ," she muttered as she glared at him, making him grin again. "Now what? You gonna convince me not to?"

He shook his head. "Nope. I think you'd make a great addition to the Team."

Her eyes widened in surprise. "You don't even know me; why would you say that?"

He shrugged. "You're right; I don't know you," he replied. "I don't know your skills, knowledge, personality, or anything about you. But I do know that if Batman asked you to join us, you must be pretty special."

She smiled and blushed as she looked away. "Thanks."

He nodded and got off of the bed. "I'd love to stay, but I'm guessing Batman is going to be here soon, and he has no idea that I'm here, so I have to go."

"I understand," she replied. "I won't tell him you were here."

He grinned. "I like you already, Jackie."

"You know my name?" she asked, confused.

"You really think I wouldn't look up your name before coming here?" he asked. "It's like you don't know me at all."

"That's the thing; I don't know you at all."

He shrugged again and nodded. "True," he admitted and walked towards the window. "Hopefully, we'll get to know each other better in the future."

"Yeah," she responded and looked at the papers on her nightstand. "Maybe we will."

He smiled. "See you, Jackie."

"Goodbye, Robin."

About an hour after the Boy Wonder left, Batman finally arrived and found Jackie tearing up all of the lists she created to help her decide what to do.

"Miss Holloway?" he asked, making her stop what she was doing and look up at him with a smile on her face.

"Hey, Bats," she greeted and ripped another piece of paper in half. "You're later than I expected."

"I thought you might need more time," he explained and walked over to her. "What are you doing?"

"Trying to get rid of my fears," she replied and threw a torn up list in the trash. "I want to move on."

He nodded. "Black Canary can help with that, but only if you want to join the Team. What's your decision?"

She fell silent for a few minutes before tearing up the last list and throwing it away. "I want in."

He nodded again. "Welcome to the Team, Miss Holloway."

"Don't call me that; if I'm going to move on, then I want 'Morris' to be my permanent last name."

"Alright, Miss Morris. Let's find the right mask for you."

She smiled, not because she was excited to become a hero, but because she had faith that everything was going to be okay.

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 **Please feel free to leave a review! Constructive criticism is welcome!**

 **Hey, Everyone! I put this story on temporary hiatus because I was changing the timeline, so it would match the one in the TV show 'Young Justice'. I hope you enjoyed this story. :)**

 **Also, I am making a sequel to this story! I know this is really short, but I want more of Jackie's past to be revealed later on when she's apart of the Team. Have an awesome day! :)**

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 **Sequel to this story is out! :)**


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